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Scottb

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    Stand building

    in Equipment

    Posted · Edited by Scottb

    OK I thought I would chime in with some info. I hope that no one takes offense, and I hope that several find this info useful.

     As some of you may know I do finish work and cabinets for a living. I wanted to talk about the materials that we should and probably shouldn't use to build stands and hoods, and how they should be constructed.

     

     Most of what I see for wood stands is 2x4 and plywood. Though I DO NOT recommend it I also see quite a few on here made from strand board and particle board.

     

     2x4's are more than strong enough to support the largest tank on this site if used properly. On end one 2x can support close to 1 thousand pounds and when you add several the capable load per stud increases dramatically. Where I see failure is long spans of horizontal 2x4. I personally would have a maximum span of 24" between my studs and 16" centers would be preferable.

     

     As for your sheet goods, USE PLYWOOD! if you try to save money here you will regret it later. Particle and strand board will turn into dust if they get wet. When I say wet I mean just the humidity around the tank is enough to compromise them over time. Many of you have thousands or more invested in you tanks why would you ask for failure to save $50 on the build.

     

     When you lay out your plywood it is important to know how many ply the sheet is and what direction the grain is going. Like dimensional lumber sheet goods have strong sides and weaker sides. When plywood is made thin sheets of wood are glued together with the grain opposing each other. If the sheet you are using is 5 ply, 3 of the veneer sheets are going one direction and 2 the other. The edge that has the end cut of the three sheets will be your structural edge. I explain this because allot of the time bargain building material stores have 1/2 price plywood but if you look closely the sheets are stacked incorrectly, and you will end up with a stand that if built properly will have a horizontal grain instead of a vertical grain. If that doesn't bother you... buy it and save the money! And don't waste your money on marine grade plywood. The only difference between marine grade and exterior ply is that all of those football shaped voids have been filled on marine grade, the glue is the same. This makes the sheet have equal strength among the face of the sheet for pressure.

     

     If you don't have the equipment to fasten your furniture like a cabinet shop does use screws! The weight of your tank, rock, and water is tremendous. That kind of force will try to push the stand down, when it is against the floor it cant so it will start putting outward pressure on all of you joints. A nail has a smooth shank and screws don't. This is the same principal as tread on your tires vs. being smooth.

     

     I hope this was helpful, if you need any advice please feel free to contact me! SB

    • Like 2

    Scotts Budget tank build

    in Tank Threads

    Posted

    I just ordered a light from sb reef lights. I was going to hold out for a used high end light but after some advice from another member, and allot of hours of reading I pulled the trigger. With the holiday sale it was $116 shipped. And if what I read is true it should preform as well as Radeon or kessil. I guess I am a few days from finding out[emoji4]

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    Scotts Budget tank build

    in Tank Threads

    Posted

    So I am a little late to the game on this thread, but here it goes.

     I had a reef tank for a short while 10-12 years ago and had to get rid of it for a couple of reasons. One I just couldn't afford it ( and really I still cant) and my home was a 1k sqf home with a 250 gal. tank in it. I couldn't stop the mold and mildew growth in the house.

     A couple of months ago a friend of mine bought a house in central Oregon with a nice 125 gallon fowlr tank in it that he didn't want. So I made a flyer and my wife and I took it into my LFS. As she was looking around she told me that she really missed watching the fish and how she would like to have another tank.... but smaller.

     I came up with this idea to build a beautiful budget tank, utilizing CL and other forums. So here is what I have come up with so far........

     

    Brand new 40b......................... $30 craigslist

     

    20 G acrylic sump.....................$25 craigslist

     

    Older Bubble Max skimmer......$30 craigslist

     

    The stand and hood I built ( I am a finish carpenter)

     ( 4 home depot 2x4 studs @ 3.41each      $13.64

       2 sheets of 1/2 birch plywood from a local

       bargain building materials store 2 @ $19.99 $39.98

      1 quart of enamel paint $8.98

      Euro hinges.................$10 Home depot

      1x4s.............................$12 Home depot

     

    The crushed coral bed and the live rock was salvaged from the central Oregon tank.

     

    New 640gph sump pump........... $55 LFS

     

    Diamond bit and jig to drill the tank $19.99 Ebay

     

    Filter Sock.......................................$5 LFS

     

    Lock Line fittings and diffusers      $ 24 LFS

     

    10 feet of 3/4 tubing ......................$19.99 Home depot

     

    Overflow box...................................$16.99 Ebay

     

    The tank build without lighting $310.57

     

    post-15804-0-32466000-1449012496_thumb.jpg

     

    • Like 2

    Are Green Chromis really this stupid?

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    In the last 3 days I have purchased 8 of these things, one of them couldn't handle the stress coming home. But not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 of them have died from trying to swim through the holes in the live rock and end up stuck. They are small fish, but they are the only fish in the tank. It isn't like they are trying to hide from a trigger. This is crazy.

    hello all, yet another newby

    in Introduce Yourself

    Posted

    I just need to say..... this is a terrible hobby. We went up to ptown for the $9 yellow tang on Saturday. came home and I just couldn't get it to eat. Of course it was the ONLY fish that my daughter wanted, and it died just a couple of minutes ago.

     I understand they are stressed, and who knows the history of the fish. And in no way shape or form do I blame the shop. After all it was a $9 tang, well worth the risk. But I think I will stick to my chromis , goby, and clowns for a while, let everything get good and established and try again in a few months. Im hooked

    Mystery coral

    in Classified Threads

    Posted

    So I bought a couple of mystery corals this morning @ the premium aquarium. It was a lot of fun, and one of them that we got was a pretty large colony of hard coral. I don't know what it is or what it is worth, but I am afraid that I am going to kill it. I am a newby and I am wondering if there is some one out there that will be fair with me and trade it for some frags that will be a bit easier to keep alive. Here is what I have.2fb0cfcb370eb4c2de99dc4ad843e2b9.jpgfa1fb04a5082d46d3b0bc494317af7d7.jpg

     

     

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

    • Like 1
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